Among or Within?

16 Apr Among or Within?

Read Colossians 3:16

Thought for the Day: Christians can coexist without compromise!

When I was away at college I had the opportunity to sing in a choir that shared rehearsal space with a rock band. Frequently, our rehearsal times ran into each other and the members of one group would hang out in the auditorium’s seats. I quickly realized the profound difference between the two groups. Techniques that would have caused our director to pull her hair out were used on a regular basis by the band’s singers. When the band rehearsed, the auditorium was filled with 70s/80s rock covers and American Idol-style vocals. We sang acapella music from the Renaissance. But, while our two groups were different, we coexisted without compromising who we were as a choir. And – I made some new friends.

The Apostle Paul reminded the Colossians to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” While First Century Christians faced countless influences around them, they knew the Gospel spoke the final word in their lives. While they needed to learn how to coexist within Roman society, the Colossians were not expected to let the word of the Romans dwell within them. Instead of other-thinking it, they needed to remember that while they physically dwelled among other influences, only the word of Christ should dwell within.

Today, we all face countless influences which are contrary to the Gospel, and we must learn to dwell among them. As Christians, this means that we live politely and compassionately with those we disagree with. What is really amazing, is that when we learn to live without either compromising our values or being rude, we often have the opportunity to tell others about Jesus! No matter how others live their lives, let’s make sure that we let the word of Jesus dwell within us!

In Christ,

Pastor David (and Stan)